A Syncopated Groove
by Thevoiceslockedaway
Summary: Jareth has been looking for his mate for centuries. He even sent part of himself to live a mortal life Aboveground where a movie was made to lure his mate out. He is now running out of time, less than a year left. He will remain forever alone and fade away if she isn't found by her 30th birthday. (He's not dead, just off to rule his kingdom.) A/N in the prologue explains the title
1. Prologue - More than you can take

**Disclaimer - I don't own the Labyrinth or any of the creations accompanying it. (Damn!)**

* * *

 **A Syncopated Groove**

 **Prologue-  
**

 **"I've got a rhythm you can't lose**  
 **If you let your body lead the way**  
 **It's just a syncopated groove**  
 **It might be more than you can take"**

 **-** ** **"I've Got Soul" - Hanson (also where "syncopated groove" came from)****

* * *

 _January 2016_

Jareth paced back and forth in front of his throne, his midnight black cape floating behind him. He had just pulled the half of him back that had lived in the Above since 1947. He felt off balance, readjusting to being whole once more. While 69 years to a being of his kind was but a blink of an eye, it was still disconcerting.

He had hoped by now to have found her, it was the whole purpose he had sent half of himself Above. But while It did keep an eye out for her, It went off and found a different human woman to settle down with. Actually more than one, producing 2 children - a boy and a girl. It was very strange to be reunited with It and feeling a wash of emotions for his human family overcome him. It wasn't He that had created this love, but yet it was.

He had never done this before as he had heard tell of Fae who did and lost themselves, never to be made whole again. Jareth himself had struggled to pull that part of himself back, it had fought. But with time growing short, even though It was still apart of him, It was made weak by all of the iron, causing the illness to manifest in cancer. Jareth would have pulled It back soon anyway, but that made it a necessity so It could heal by being reunited with him.

It finally bowed under Jareth's will and crown. He wouldn't have done it but for trying to have another set of eyes Above for her. So he sent half of himself as a babe in a human mother's womb, where It was born and grew as any child would, except at human aging and not Fae. It had Its own consciousness, but he was connected to It. It became a famous musician and singer, the magic helping for It to reach Its success and celebrity. It was susceptible to human devices and succumbed to them early on. It did right Itself later on, even the playfulness of the Fae side growing bored. Its distraction though, made it fail finding his mate.

But before we get too far ahead, let's rewind a bit to 30 years ago. The prophecy of his mate told that 1986 was the year she would be born Above. The prophecy stressed that should he not find her by her 30th birthday, that she would never be found and he would be forever alone. Fae don't love easily and they have one true mate in their Immortal lifetimes. Most don't find them and choose eventually to fade away, partaking in pleasures of the flesh along the way but never truly feeling anything.

He had felt when she was born; November 17, 1986. So thankfully he had almost the whole of 2016 yet to locate her, as it was only January. But time was growing short and steadily ticking by. This was one situation he could not reorder time.

In 1986, a little movie came out that starred his half Above. That movie was the book that should make its way to his mate. There was an actual book to be a counterpart to the movie, so either way this should be a piece of cake. What a pity the movie didn't tell exactly how and when she would be found. The actual circumstances would most likely be quite different. However the words were correct, but not just anyone could summon him. Only she and anyone else with the magic could do so. This was to ensure runners.

Many years ago, he had more runners than he knew what to do with, when the veils between realms were thinner and humans believed more. Their dreams and wishes fueled the Underground. However as time wore on, humans had less interest and time in stories and what they thought was make believe. So this movie acted two fold - to find her and to generate more runners with the gift to use the wish correctly. Keeping the Labyrinth and him infused with magic and power. The second intent worked perfectly, but the first did not.

It was very dis-satisfying to not have someone to take his anger out on as it was himself that caused the delay. He flicked his wrist, producing a crystal orb. He then threw it at the nearest group of goblins causing chaos, where it exploded in a shower of glitter. They disappeared into thin air and found themselves dunked in the Bog of Eternal Stench. That took only a small edge of his fury away.

He had sent goblin scouts Above as well, to try to search her out, but it was as if she was hidden from him. He collapsed sideways in his throne, the leg thrown over the arm jiggling with his agitated energy.

This didn't last very long. He rose from the throne and transformed into a snowy white owl, who then took flight through the window, his goblin horde not fazed by the King's sudden departure.

* * *

 **A/N - Welcome to my new story!**

 **Here is a little English lesson. The word Syncopated in the title means -**

 **1\. Music. a shifting of the normal accent, usually by stressing the normally unaccented beats.**  
 **2\. something, as a rhythm or a passage of music, that is syncopated.**  
 **In music, syncopation involves a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected which make part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is a general term for "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur.**

 **My reason is that this story will have similarities to the original but take a somewhat different path, weaving in and out of the original. I know it's not a 100% match for the meaning, but I really liked the similarity. This story is off beat in my opinion. Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 1 - When you swore your love

**A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 1 -  
**

 **"Remember when you swore**  
 **Your love was never ending**  
 **That you and I will never die**  
 **Remember when you swore**  
 **We had it all**  
 **We'd never fall"**

\- **"Sail Away" - The Rasmus**

* * *

 _September 2016_

Twenty-nine-year-old Madison was trying to get the band, The Night's Watch, up. Which included her boyfriend, the drummer, Christian. It was one in the afternoon and they had to be at the venue by three. Four guys plus one bathroom on the bus equals not enough time. Sometimes she really hated being the responsible one. She wanted to have not a care in the world like everyone else on tour. But alas, she was the tour manager and couldn't give into such impulses. She was the reason everything ran smoothly on tour.

They had parked outside the venue an hour ago for the show that night and she had been going from bunk to bunk trying to rouse everyone, with not much luck. She had finally had enough and filled four glasses with cold water from the sink in the tiny kitchen. She sat them on the floor and proceeded to dump the contents of them onto each band member.

She started with Mason, the lead singer and sometimes guitarist. Pulling the bunk curtain aside she upended the cup. He immediately sat up sputtering and glared at her. She just smiled evilly and moved onto the bassist, James; the guitarist Jackson; and finally her boyfriend of three years, Christian. She received the same reactions mostly, some cursing her as well.

"I told you boys to get up, it's your fault you made me resort to drastic measures," she called, laughing, as she returned the cups to the little kitchen area of the bus.

She heard the bathroom door close, some grumbling from the other bunks, then 2 arms snaked around her waist. Before she could move, Christian shook his shoulder length blue wet hair over her 5'6 frame from his 6' height, soaking the top of her head. She screeched in surprise and tried to jump away from him. His arms pinned her to him, where the back of her shirt was being soaked from his front. His chest rumbled in laughter against her as he leaned down to nibble her ear.

She allowed it for a minute, they barely had any time together on tour, but then broke his hold when he loosened his arms, and turned around. She pulled his wet head down to her and pressed a kiss to his full lips. He grinned against her mouth and then pulled her tight to him, now causing both front and back of her shirt to be beyond wearable as a respectable tour manager. She tickled his sides, causing him to let her go, then looked down at herself. Her white button down now could qualify her for a wet t-shirt contest, except she had a bra on under it.

She rolled her eyes as she caught Christian enjoying the view. "Thanks honey, now excuse me while I change."

She headed to the back room of the bus, pulled her bag from the pile lined up on the side and turned around to shut the door so she could change. Christian was standing in the way, leaning against the doorjamb. "Need some help?" he raised an eyebrow, then made his way to her without waiting for a reply. She didn't tell him to go away, instead,"Shut the door if you're staying." Then went back to shuffling around in her bag for a clean, dry shirt.

She heard the door click as she straightened back up. She could feel his presence still in the room as she unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged it off her shoulders. Before she could reach down to the chair and get the dry shirt, she felt her bra become loose. "Christian!" she gasped, her hands flying to her chest as she spun around to face him. "We don't have the time or privacy!"

"Come on babe, the door's locked. I need a quickie, I'm getting blue balls," he rubbed his hands up and down her chilled arms.

She scoffed,"It's only been a week."

"Yeah and that was just an appetizer. I'm a hot blooded man, babe."

She sighed, she did miss being with him. It was just so hard and he didn't seem to get that she needed to be the accountable one and keep everyone on track. He didn't help in that matter, as he was always trying to coerce her into situations she couldn't be found in as a manager.

She stood upon tiptoes to kiss him in consolation. "I'm sorry hun, but we gotta get moving. Even a quickie is too much time that we don't have. I promise soon." She turned around and he redid her bra. Then she slipped on a blue button down, identical to the white one she had laid to dry by the cracked open window. She looked at him regretfully as he stood there pouting, then unlocked and opened the door, slipping out to her duties.

* * *

By some miracle she got them all into the venue in time and went about her check list of things to be done as they got some food, then did sound check. A few minutes before the band was to go on that night, she walked over to her boyfriend, who was waiting in the shadows offstage. Even though most everyone on tour knew they were a couple, the venues sometimes didn't and so she tried to maintain a professional facade with Christian in front of them. But she felt the distance and cold shoulder he was giving off. She slipped her arm through his and smiled up at him. "Good luck hun, have fun tonight." She waited for him to lean down to kiss her, but he just gave a distant smile, disengaged himself from her, and ran onstage as the band was introduced.

She frowned and couldn't help but feel hurt. He was four years older than her, so it's not like he shouldn't be able to understand her situation. She had been their tour manager for two years before he asked her out, but sparks had always flew between them. Now it's like the cold water she had doused him with earlier had already put out their flames, at least for him. She hoped he was just sulking and would come to his senses. Usually a good, hard show made him feel better. They would be in a hotel room tomorrow night after the show in the next town. They would have privacy and time. Everything would be back to normal then.

Christian definitely pounded the hell out of his drums, she could see the frustration he was releasing. Whether it was sexual frustration or anger at her or both, she wasn't sure.

He always gave her a sweaty hug when he came backstage after a show. This time he breezed right past her. He was the third off the stage and Mason who came behind him, noticed the blow off. He looked at her questioningly and she shrugged in confused hurt. She finished up her after show duties. Ensuring the instruments were packed away back into the trailer, then accompanied the guys out as they went to greet some fans who had been waiting by the bus.

Surprisingly Christian stayed out, which was rare. Jackson and James were tired, making their apologies as they headed into the bus. Mason stayed out with Christian taking pictures and signing paraphernalia for about a half hour. Then she decided to get them moving as they had to leave directly for the next city.

She got groans and some boos from the fans as she made the announcement it was time for them to get on the bus. Why did she always have to be the bad guy?

Mason went easily, but Christian took a few more pictures, lingering on purpose. She finally grabbed his arm in a friendly gesture and gently pulled him to the bus. When inside she wanted to hit him over the head. He was acting like a child and she was getting pissed off herself at his behavior and perpetual unwillingness to understand where she was coming from.

By the time she had pushed him up the steps and pulled the door shut behind her, James and Jackson had taken quick showers. She could hear the water running and Mason was missing. Christian didn't even acknowledge her and made his way to the back room.

She opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. Her job was done for the night. The bus driver had his orders of where to go to next and she was planning on a slight buzz. Christian disappeared into the bathroom when Mason came out. He flopped down on the couch next to her. "So Chick, what's up?"

She knew what he meant and was going to act dumb, but just didn't have the energy.

Sighing, she shook her head and took another swig from the bottle in her hand.

He put his arm around her and squeezed. They were good friends and he could see what Christian couldn't. Mason understood everything. Why couldn't he have been the one she dated? No, life always had to be difficult.

Christian came out of the bathroom as they sat there. He glanced in their direction then headed back to his bunk. Once he was out of sight, curtain closed, Mason quietly pulled the story out of her.

She ended up sobbing into his chest as she let the dam spill. He hugged her to him through it. By the end, the bottle was empty and she was hiccuping.

He took the bottle from her hand and set it in the trash can. He placed a glass of cold water in her hand and urged her to drink it down, stopping the hiccups. Then he pulled her up, "Come on Maddy. Go get a shower and try to get some sleep. It's almost two am and you've had an exhausting day."

She grabbed night clothes from her bag and stood under the scalding spray, staring at the wall in misery. She hoped like Mason had said when consoling her, that tomorrow Christian would have cooled down and realized what an ass he'd been.

When she came out of the bathroom, Mason was standing by the bunks and helped her climb in. She slid under the covers and looked at him. "Thanks Mase. You are such a good friend," she whispered. He smiled and shrugged, then pulled her curtain closed engulfing her in darkness. She heard his bunk creak as he climbed in, then all was quiet.

She thought she would lay awake for hours, but next thing she knew she was opening her eyes to sounds of movement. She pulled her phone from the little shelf above her and saw it was eleven in the morning. They must be to the next venue. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and slid the curtain open. No one was by the bunks, but she heard talking up front. So she hopped down and began another busy day on tour.

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 **A/N - No reviews on the first chapter? I hope this one will help some contributions in the little box. *jiggles it pathetically* ;)**


	3. Chapter 2 - Like a train wreck

**A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 2 -  
**

 **"Oh we said some things that we can never take back,**  
 **It's like a train wreck tryin' to hit the right track,**  
 **We opened up the wine and we just let it breathe,**  
 **But we should of drank it down while it was still sweet,**  
 **It all goes bad eventually"**

 **-** ** **"Mean" - P!nk****

* * *

Madison collapsed on her hotel room bed, fully clothed. What a day. The normal show day schedule on top of an interview the band had before stage time. This was the sixth show in a row, tomorrow was going to be a much needed day off. As the tour manager she was never truly off, but at least her schedule would be light or hopefully nonexistent, depending what cropped up.

Christian had disappeared into his room a moment before she went to hers. She expected to hear a knock on her door soon, after he showered. That was their normal routine.

She heaved herself back up and went to get clean. Then clad in a towel, she curled back up on the bed. She must have dozed off. When she woke back up and checked her phone for the time, it was past one in the morning. She hoped Christian wasn't mad at her for ignoring his knock, as he must've tried. But she didn't see any texts from him or missed calls. She frowned, they had fought before and he always came to her room when they had a hotel for the night.

She changed into shorts and a tank top, then walked down the hall to his room. She knocked lightly, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep. "Christian," she said in a low voice, her mouth by the door. She waited a few minutes, tried knocking again, but no response. He must've passed out too. Oh well, a perfectly good night of privacy wasted. She went back to her room and watched late night tv until she fell asleep.

* * *

Several hours later she woke up slowly, stretching and then rolling to get out of bed. She brushed her teeth to get rid of the morning breath and then made her way to her boyfriend's room again. She really missed him and thought to have a quickie with him at least before their day began.

When she got to his door she heard muffled noise and what sounded like moaning. Was he in some kind of pain? She knocked louder than last night, but didn't say his name. The noise continued so she knocked again. When she did it a third time a a minute later, she heard him yelling, "Yeah yeah, hang on!" Then the door flew open to a tousled, very irritated looking Christian wearing just boxer shorts - until he saw it was her. He quickly tried to close the door, but she had already seen behind him. A young girl in his bed, holding the sheets to her chest. She pushed it open, causing him to stumble with the strength of her anger. "What the fuck is this?!" she yelled at him.

He was at a loss for words for once, his mouth opening and closing with no sound. He just shook his head.

She put her hands on her hips,"Well? I want to know what could possibly be your explanation for a naked, what I assume barely legal, girl in your fucking bed!"

He seemed to regain his backbone as he ignored her question and told the girl to get dressed and leave. She did quickly, glancing at him once as she passed by them and out the door. He then closed it and walked away from her, running his hands through his messy hair.

She just stood there, her arms folded across her chest, refusing to follow him like a puppy dog.

He finally turned around and started, "Look, you and I haven't been working for awhile. You never want to be with me and are always caught up in your job. Whatever we had is gone..."

She was even more livid and was speechless at his immaturity for a minute. Then it exploded as she stalked towards him,"You fucking asshole! My job is what keeps you all organized and making money. You should have talked to me, not just slept with someone almost young enough to be your daughter! You were just looking for a damn excuse to leave me and this is as fucking weak as you can get! A relationship is work, not all fun and we have it harder than a lot of people! I KNEW I shouldn't have said yes to dating you. You're the one who persuaded me, that me being the tour manager wouldn't interfere with our relationship and our relationship with my job. You are just a damn liar!" She wanted to punch him, but instead flung the door open and ran back to her room. He didn't follow her.

How could she have not seen this coming? The first two years of their relationship were great, he was understanding for the most part. But the last year he slowly changed and she kept pushing it aside. They had been touring most of it and that had been a strain. But it was still no reason for his actions. She knew he had been somewhat of a player before her, which was another reason she had been hesitant to date him, but he promised he was ready to settle down - that he was too old for the one night stand life anymore.

She had kept the hurt from and tears from showing in front of him, but now she was sobbing into her pillow. Her heart was breaking, three years wasted. She thought he was the one.

She heard a soft knock on her door and a voice,"Maddy? It's Mason. Can I come in?"

She debated ignoring him, but she didn't want to be alone right now. She stumbled to the door and opened it enough for him to slip in. He shut it behind him and followed her back to the bed, where she had collapsed back down, tears streaming from her eyes.

He slid next to her and gathered her into his arms. "I heard most of it Chick and made Christian tell me the rest. He had no right doing that. I told him what a jackass he is. James and Jack were reaming him out when I left."

His words made her sob harder - for what was lost and broken, for her friends who always had her back, for life and the unfairness of it.

When she had cried herself out and was quietly gripping his shirt still, he kissed the top of her head and looked down at her. "I say we try to get your mind off this. Let's go to a movie, forget about your job right now."

She started to decline, but he interrupted her, "Sarah Madison Walker, you are not going to sit here and feel sorry for yourself over a guy who obviously doesn't appreciate your value."

So she agreed and Mason left, promising to meet back with her in an hour after she had cleaned up and got dressed.

* * *

He had found a local theater playing a 30th anniversary showing of a film that was a cult classic. She had never heard of it but went along.

It was about a young girl with a little brother who she wished away to the Goblin King when she was 15 and then had to run a maze of challenges to get him back. She supposed for the time it was made in, it wasn't bad. She found she had enjoyed herself a little and found herself smiling as she sat eating with Mason after the movie at a local Chinese restaurant.

When they got back to the bus to head to the next city, James and Jack joined them as they played a game of Monopoly in the back, while Christian was absent elsewhere on the bus.

They had drinks, teasing, laughs, and generally a good time. She had considered quitting her job, but the guys had talked her out of it. Because they were on her side, she figured she should be able to bear being around her now, ex. That caused a pang in her heart, but she pushed it aside and immersed herself back into the current moment.

They got to the next city around eight that night and Madison went to check them into a hotel as after the show the next night, they had another day off.

She was relaxing in her room, when there was a knock. She got up to open it, finding Christian standing there. "Can we talk?" he said quietly.

She let him in and shut it behind him. _'A lot of doors opening and closing lately, both literally and metaphorically,'_ she thought, wryly.

She assumed he was there to apologize, but what came out of his mouth shocked her even more.

"Look, I think we should find another tour manager." He began, running his fingers through his hair and avoiding eye contact with her. "This whole split is causing a rift with me and the guys. It would be best to just remove you from the equation."

She was going to rail and bitch at him, but instead reopened the door and said one word, "Out."

He stood there for a moment then walked past her, stopping in the doorway. "We'll give you a good recommendation and severance pay, of course. But you should resign, don't make it more embarrassing by having to be fired." Then he walked back to his room.

She quietly closed the door and stood there wavering between fury, hurt, and numbness. What balls he had to do that! He was the only one who felt that way, the other guys wanted her there. Or did they? Maybe they were just being nice?

She was so confused, then the tears came yet again. A silent stream of pain. She backed up until the bed hit her legs and then her knees buckled, causing her to fall back.

Before she knew what she was doing she had mumbled how she wished something would happen to Christian, to make him pay. Then as if someone had whispered them into her ear, she said her right words, "I wish the goblins would come take Christian away, right now!"

* * *

 **A/N - Ha! You guys were prob all like "Hey this says it's Jareth and Sarah, but where's Sarah?" Surprise! I know people who go by their middle name, it's not that uncommon.**

 **Also to Jetredgirl, my faithful reviewer on my other fic and now my first review on this one, hats off to you! :)**


	4. Chapter 3 - Into the Unknown

**A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 3-  
**

 **"We live in chapters of struggle and pain**

 **No turning back now that death knows our name**

 **The road ahead leads us into the unknown**

 **But we follow the light that we all feel in our bones**

 **We must turn this page**

 **Take a deep breath for me"**

 ** **\- "A Beginning of the Night" - Neverwake****

* * *

All of a sudden, outside it started down pouring with lightening flashes. The bright morning turned to almost midnight, matching the angst in Madison's heart. Rain slashed into the room from the balcony door that had somehow flown open, though she knew it had been closed a moment ago. Before she could close it, a white owl swooped in, landing a few feet from her. Then before she could react to a wild animal suddenly making its way into her hotel room, there was a flash of lightening. Where the owl had been now stood a tall man, with wild blond hair, and attired in what appeared to be armor of some sort with a black cape swirling behind him in the wind. Something glinted against his chest. He had his hands on his hips and was looking down at her in amusement.

"Um...who are you?" Madison was in shock.

He stepped forward, staring into her eyes with intense concentration. Lightening arced around him, showing the pendant around his neck was a sickle- shaped ornament. It seemed to give off an energy of its own.

"Don't you know?" He adjusted the black gloves on his hands.

"I..um.." Why was he so familiar? Something niggled at the back of her mind and then it hit her. The movie she had seen earlier today and then her wish.

"You're him...the Goblin King?" she couldn't believe she was saying those words. This had to be a dream. He didn't really exist.

He bowed, "You are free now from the bonds that have held and distressed you."

"You mean Christian?"

He inclined his head in answer.

"Oh..no. He may be an ass, but can you bring him back?"

He crossed his arms, his cape hanging from them, "What's said is said. "

"But... I didn't mean it."

"Oh didn't you, now?"

Now she was getting irritated, "Ok Mr. Fancy Pants, I don't even believe you have him. I must've fallen asleep after he left. There is no way you are really here."

He quirked one side of his mouth and produced a crystal ball out of thin air. He rolled it around his hands in a gravity defying way, before sliding it to his fingertips and lifting it before her eyes, "Take a look for yourself."

Images appeared within, forming into Christian surrounded by weird and unnatural creatures of different sizes. After a minute of watching, she realized they must be goblins. They were making a raucous - drinking, laughing, getting into antics. Some were tugging at Christian's clothes as he moved from an archway to another with steps going up out of sight. Even though there were no doors, it seemed something was stopping him from leaving the room. He looked frantic and he seemed to be yelling, but the images were soundless.

The scene caused the heart broken side of her to smile internally in satisfaction, but she realized she couldn't leave him there. However she also was skeptical and looked up to the being before her. "How do I know you're not just showing me this and he isn't safe in his room?"

He threw the ball in the air, it exploded in glitter around them. When her vision cleared they were in another room and with all the stuff strewn about, it was Christian's. She looked around, even in the bathroom and closet, but Christian was nowhere to be seen.

After she had tried in vain to rid herself of the glitter that seemed to be everywhere, she crossed her arms and glanced at the waiting King, "Ok, assuming this isn't a dream, I demand you bring him back."

He smirked,"It doesn't work that way. In order to reverse your wish, you will have to run the Labyrinth and make it to the Castle beyond the Goblin City."

Madison remembered that part of the movie, "Thirteen hours, right?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed," he had another crystal ball twirling around his hands, almost as if he had to have something to fidget with. Considering the contained power and energy radiating off of him, it was no wonder he needed something to do with his hands. It was like a Lion being caged in one spot. Just as dangerous.

"Aren't you supposed to offer me my dreams?" she couldn't help but push him, to break that nonchalant composure.

His mismatched eyes focused back on her and he once again rolled the crystal to his hand, holding it out to her, "If you would like. This will show you your dreams... then forget the boy." He sounded almost bored.

She stared at it for a minute, but didn't take it. "I thought you only took children?" she looked at him dead on.

He rolled one shoulder in a graceful shrug. "I take license, it is my right as King. My Will is law."

"So, _Will_ Christian to be returned."

His lips parted in a slight smile, revealing sharp canines. "That is not how it is done, as you well know."

"You are deliberately being obtuse," she dared to poke him in the chest, buoyed by her annoyance.

Instead of blasting her on the spot or whatever else she thought he may do, his smile grew wider, "Perhaps Precious. Regardless, you have a decision to make. Your dreams," he inclined his head to the crystal once again swirling around his gloved hands, "or run the Labyrinth."

She blew out a breath and glanced down at herself. "If I choose to run, can you let me change?"

He paused in thought, "I suppose it would only be right to give you a sporting chance with appropriate attire."

This time he threw the crystal, it exploded in light but no more glitter. Also what had remained on her from the previous trip, was now erased. They were back in her room.

"I would hurry, time grows short," he advised ominously.

She grabbed her bag, pulling a pair of comfortable pants and a tank out. She changed quickly in the bathroom, came back out and put socks, then comfortable sneakers on. She also grabbed a light jacket, as she didn't know what the weather would be like. Almost an afterthought, she also pulled a bottle of water from the mini fridge and a cross body bag, which she deposited the water in.

The Goblin King had been staring intently into the crystal ball, but glanced up when she announced she was ready.

He strode across the room after throwing the crystal into thin air and swirled his cape around her. She felt the sensation of movement, then her feet touched down on uneven ground. When he stepped away she saw she was on a windswept hill overlooking the Labyrinth.

"Turn back Sarah, turn back before it is too late."

"I can't. Christian doesn't deserve this, even if he is a jerk. "

"What a pity."

"It doesn't look too far, " what deja vu, quoting the movie word for word.

"It is further than you think and time is short, " his voice was right by her ear, causing her to jump, "And time is shorter still." She whirled around to see him pointing at a very large antique looking clock on a nearby tree. It was already fifteen minutes past the thirteen.

"Hey! That's not the full thirteen hours!"

He smiled, once again showing his sharp teeth, "I did warn you when you went to change that time was short. It had already started."

"That's not fair!"

He just laughed, which sounded like gravel wrapped in silk, reminding her of late night kisses and twisted sheets.

"If you do not solve the Labyrinth in this time, the boy will be one of us forever," he started gliding backwards, fading from sight.

That's when it dawned on her, "How did you know my first name? I never told you!"

A bodiless laugh was her only answer.

She sighed and started down the steep hill, "Come on feet."

* * *

 **A/N - Not much to say..enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 4- So you wanna play with magic?

**Just borrowing the Labyrinth for pure entertainment value.**

* * *

 **A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 4 -**

 **"** **So you wanna play with magic?  
Boy, you should know what you're falling for  
Baby, do you dare to do this?  
'Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse"**

 **-** ** **"Dark Horse" - Katy Perry****

* * *

Jareth paced back and forth in front of his throne, ignoring the yelling mortal in the room with him. But once the boy became a nuisance, he flicked his hand and he disappeared to a relatively clean dungeon room where he couldn't get into anything and would not be a bother to him.

He had felt the summons and knew something was different with this one. When he had appeared in front of the girl, a lightening sensation went through him, almost as if one of the bolts in the sky had struck him - though it was not altogether unpleasant. He realized that this was his mate - the one he had longed for in his endless, lonely centuries.

It took all he had to keep his indifferent composure and play out the scene as fate decreed. All he had wanted to do was enfold her in his embrace and whisk her away to the castle. He was Fae, but this was a game he didn't want to play. Especially when he didn't know the outcome. The movie may or may not be correct in that aspect. He was hopeful she would fail and then offer herself in place of the human male, which he would graciously accept as he was a merciful King. Then they could get on with the business of their marriage, children, and the rest of their lives.

He didn't love her yet it was true, that part of the movie was unfortunately incorrect. It was thanks to his half when It was Above, which had amassed quite a bit of a romantic nature. He did love the idea of her, which was a good start. As a sovereign ruler, business came first. He needed a Queen, which would take time to prepare her. The love would come, he hoped. When Fate decrees a prophesy of a mate, love accompanies the outcome he had heard. Of course never feeling more than fleeting pleasure, he had yet to experience that for himself. He was methodical and devious, good traits in a Fae King.

He did feel something strange when she poked him in the chest. It felt like pride at seeing her stand up to him. While he would have to be careful with disrespect, she showed backbone. If she could stand up to him in his full battle armor, that was indeed a good sign she could manage the goblin hordes and the rest of his subjects without balking.

He gracefully fell onto his throne, throwing a leg across the arm, while peering into the crystal ball that formed without thought in his gloved hand.

* * *

"That friggin creep, couldn't even take me to the damn gates. Then cheated by not telling me he had already started the fucking clock," Madison mumbled in irritation to herself as she made her way down the hill. She accomplished this mainly by inching down on her butt, encountering rocks and stones.

"I didn't think I needed to pack a damned first aid kit," she dabbed at the slight blood welling on her hands from the trek down.

.Funny how once he disappeared, the wind stopped. "Pompous jerk," she added onto her rant.

She made it to the massive wall and began walking along it. After a few minutes, she kicked a nearby shrub in frustration. _There were no doors!_ "More cheating!" she yelled in frustration at the wall. "I don't have magic, you know!"

She took a few deep breaths, her logical side arguing with the side who just wanted to rant and scream at the unfairness of it all. This would get her nowhere.  
Once calmed down as much as she could be in the situation, she continued walking. Running a hand along the wall as she went, in case there was a hidden door.

She came upon the back of a short creature peeing in a pond. "Some more deja vu," she muttered. "Excuse me?" she said to his back.

The creature coughed, quickly zipping his pants up. When he turned around though, his wrinkled face didn't show surprise. It was neither friendly nor hostile. "Oh it's you." Then he proceeded to pick up a discarded sprayer of sorts, or so she assumed, walking away from her.

She followed slowly after studying him. He was definitely odd. He sported sprouting eyebrows that looked like they wanted to be fierce but fell short of the goal. On top of his head he wore a skullcap. From his belt that held his breeches up, he had a chain of ornaments dangling, cheap jewelry it seemed.

He had been spraying puffs of an odorless substance at little winged creatures as he went. "Fifty-seven!"

"How could you?!" she cried as she scooped it up. "Poor thing," she looked up from her cupped hands, "You monster." Then she promptly dropped it as she felt a sharp pain in her hand. "Ow, it bit me!"

"Well what did you expect fairies to do?" he replied, continuing along his way.

"I.." she stopped herself as she realized she was about to quote the cult film once again. "Nothing really, but I didn't expect them to bite."

"Shows what you know, don't it?" He raised his sprayer once again, standing close to the foliage by the wall, then, "Fifty- eight!" He shot another puff and another fairy fell to the ground.

"You're horrible."

He stopped and turned around, "No I ain't, I'm Hoggle." He poked himself in the chest. "And who are you?"

"Madison."

He raised one of his bushy eyebrows, like she had caught him off guard and then continued on with his fairy murder spree. "Fifty-nine!"

"Do you know where the door to the Labyrinth is?"

"Maybe.."

"Well, where is it?" she was getting irritated.

He didn't respond, but dodged to the side and shot another puff, "Sixty! Hoo-ha!" He jumped in the air with his short legs.

She was about to ask again where the door was, but then a quote from the movie echoed through her mind, _'It's hopeless to ask you anything, isn't it?' The reply, 'Not if you ask the right questions.'_

"How do I get into the Labyrinth?" she blurted out loud.

Once again he seemed to be thrown off, like she was deviating from a preordained script.

He walked over to a piece of wall and replied, "You gets in there." Two huge doors had appeared and slowly creaked open as she watched. She glared at them, then peered into the archway and what was beyond.

"You really going in there, are you?" He said, to her right.

"Yes, I'm afraid I don't have a choice." She started walking slowly between the open doors.

Once she was inside she looked to the left and then right, both seemed like straight paths with no turns.

"Cozy, isn't it?" Hoggle's laughing voice behind her made her gasp and slightly jump.

Then he walked in front of her and to the right. "Now, would you go left or right?"

Madison refused to play this game, "I suppose you wouldn't either way then?" She put her hands on her hips.

He was silent, like he was unsure of his next line, since in a way she had stolen it.

She grinned smugly, then continued, "I think you can leave, it seems you'll be no help to me."

His chest inflated then he said, "You know your problem?"

"That I take too much for granted? That even if I reach the center, I'll never get out again?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

"That's what I thought. Thanks for nothing Hogwart, " she adjusted the strap of the bag over her shoulder, moving the bag itself a little behind her. She did remember his name, but wanted to get a (probably) immature jab at him. She started to walk away from him, taking the left.

"Oh! It's Hoggle!" his voice echoed off the walls behind her. "And don't say I didn't warn you!"

"You didn't though! I took the words right out of your mouth! " she threw back over her shoulder as she hesitantly kept going forward.

Her only reply was the giant doors slamming shut.

She knew there were turns, that the straight pathways were just an illusion, so she started feeling her away along the wall. While it looked wet and slimy, it was surprisingly dry. She was careful to avoid the lichen with eyes that were watching her as she made her way.

She became frustrated when after walking, trailing her hand along for a few minutes, that everything was solid.

In the movie the girl had walked, then ran quite a bit, but that couldn't be the only place, could it?

"Argh!" she kicked the wall with the toe of her sneaker, then hit it.

"Fine," she ground out, "let's play."

She started jogging, continuing to lightly trail her fingertips along every couple feet. But still nothing until she leaned against the wall, irritated and already tired of it all.

"Allo." she heard a small voice to her right.

All she saw was a blue worm with a red scarf looking up at her next to a small hole. "Did you just say hello?" She was going crazy now, talking to a worm. But hey, she was in lala land it seemed.

"No I said 'allo, but that's close enough, " it replied.

"I don't suppose you know how to get through this Labyrinth?"

"Me? Nah, I'm just a worm."

"I figured as much," she sighed.

"Come inside and meet the missus. Have a cuppa tea. "

"No offense, but even if I had the time, how would I fit?"

"I don't rightly know, but you must have some magic to be here?" it asked hopefully.

"If I do, I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I'm just a human chick trying to best the Goblin King."

"Ah well, good luck with that miss."

"Thanks, I need all the luck I can get." Then she got up and brushed her pants off. Then she hoisted her bag again and walked to the opposite wall. She held her hands out and walked right through it to reveal two turns that were blended into the surroundings.

"Huh. Well if to the right is the long way, then to the left should be straight to the castle, " she mumbled to herself. She grinned, "Here I come, Mr thinks-he-can-outsmart-me freaky King!" She laughed and her pace sped up, as she turned the corner.

* * *

 **A/N - Like I said in my other story, Makes No Sense At All, my muse took an extended vacation. He popped in for a quick visit.**

 **This story almost took an indefinite hiatus. The document I have it saved on my computer, erased. I had half of this chapter written and it was gone. I was close to tears. My friend who is a computer whiz told me how to use a hex editor after he couldn't recover the text from the document itself and luckily I found it! My other story wasn't so lucky, but the only thing I lost on that was some ideas I had saved for it. I can deal with that, but already written stuff just disappearing? Nope. I would have had to rewrite it and it just wouldn't have been the same to me.**

 **So enjoy the miracle that has happened!**


	6. Chapter 5 - We follow like Alice

**A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 5 -  
**

 **"Your magic white rabbit**  
 **Has left its writing on the wall**  
 **We follow like Alice**  
 **And just keep diving down the hole**  
 **We're falling and we're losing control**  
 **You're pulling us and dragging us down this dead end road**  
 **We follow like Alice**  
 **And just keep diving down the hole"**

 **-** ** **"White Rabbit" - Egypt Central****

* * *

Madison turned a few corners and yet the path wound with no end in sight.

"I thought this was supposed to lead straight to the castle!" she huffed, hiking her bag higher on her shoulder as she walked.

Suddenly she felt tugging on her pants. She looked down to see a white rabbit dressed in a blue and white striped vest, holding a pocket watch in its other paw. When it saw it had her attention, it tugged more insistently, "Come on now. We're late! We're late!"

She raised an eyebrow, "For a very important date?"

The rabbit didn't answer, just turned and hurried along.

Madison stood debating if it was a good idea to follow an animal in the Labyrinth, it could be there to deter her. But it's not like she had any choice in the way she was going, it was one winding corridor as far as she could see. She shrugged and strode around a few turns until she caught sight of the back of the white rabbit.

* * *

The Goblin King had been watching her as she started her journey. He was sprawled on his throne, anticipating a long trek for his soon to be wife. However she surprised him when she went left, even without the worm telling her which way was the best.

"Clever little thing you are Precious," he murmured with pride. She would be a remarkable Goblin Queen he deduced, even with just the bit that he had observed of her so far. If it weren't for the fact that he needed her to lose, no one had ever actually beat his Labyrinth anyway, he would have been crowing in triumph at what would've been a very quick victory indeed.

Unfortunately he would have to detour her, so with a wave of his gloved hand and a smirk of his thin lips, she found herself in a winding corridor. The rabbit would lead her in the wrong direction and his success of her loss was assured.

* * *

Madison had just caught up to the white rabbit, when it disappeared around a corner. She made twists and turns, the lone path finally winding in opposite directions. The rabbit was always just enough ahead that she would catch a glimpse of its back. But she followed it, praying that the direction it was taking her was towards the castle. Not like she had any idea which way to go as it was.

Then as she followed it around another bend, it vanished. In its place was a dead end.

"What the hell?" She slowly turned around in a circle, feeling along the walls for a concealed opening, but was unsuccessful. As she was halfway through her rotation, she exclaimed, "What a fucked up place this is! It's not fair!"

"That's right!" a voice said behind her, "It's not fair!"

She jumped and spun around.

Behind her, in what was the dead end, now stood a little niche with two carved doors in the wall, and a guard posted in front of each door. At least, she thought they had to be guards, since they stood foursquare and were emblazoned with armor. But as she studied them she wasn't so sure. They looked like joker cards from a deck. They were pretty comical the more she gawked at them. Their enormous shields were patterned with geometrical figures, scrolls, and devices - the one on the left in red and the one on the right in blue. The shields looked pretty heavy, which may be why they were each in a wide stance. She couldn't imagine perpetually standing like that to keep upright, her legs hurt just at the thought. The one on the left had shifty eyes beneath his helmet. The one of the right, not quite his twin, kept his eyes hidden beneath his shield.

The pair each had their own upside down joker companion, that seemed to be hanging onto the bottom of the shields by what she would describe as arthritic hands taken to the extreme - all gnarled. She couldn't even comprehend how their hands even were holding their positions. Which must've added even more weight for the top pair to support.

Red upside down added onto the previous comment, "But that's only the half of it!"

She walked up to them, her brow furrowing, "This was a dead end a minute ago!"

"No, that's the dead end behind you!" Blue upside down answered. The double pairs took great delight in her predicament, laughing after their every reply.

Madison turned to look behind her, finding that indeed what had been the path she had come from a moment ago, was now the dead end.

She faced the guards again and huffed out a breath, "It keeps changing. This is ridiculous! How am I supposed to even attempt to make it through this stupid maze?"

Red upside down replied, "The only way out is to try one of these doors."

Blue upside down continued, "One of them leads to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth and one of them leads to.."

His blue counterpart interjected, peeking his head above the shield where it had been concealed," B..B..B..BOOM..."

Blue upside down finished, "Certain death!"

Then all four tacked on,"Oooooh."

Madison vaguely remembered this part of the movie and put her hands on her hips, "And I suppose you can't tell me which is which because you bottom two don't know and you top two I can only ask one of you. But one of you tells the truth and one of you lies."

The strange creatures looked at each other, speechless. Like she had yet again stolen lines.

 _Good, she thought smugly, let someone other than me be thrown off. At least I have the upper hand in that._

She also was never good at any puzzles, but she remembered in the movie that the girl went through the door behind the blue guards.

But what were the odds that things were exactly as the movie? Considering even though she had taken the turn that should've led her straight to the castle where she should be defeating Mr glitter pants and his glitter fuckery** magic right now, instead she found herself still trying to navigate this stupid maze.

It seemed for some reason she was meant to play this out. So she was going to choose the opposite door just to screw with this place and see what happened.

She let the silence continue and just pushed open the door on the left. She watched her footing carefully as she didn't want to meet certain death.

She reached the end of the corridor, without any drops, where a door greeted her.

As she pushed it open she grinned, "Guess I'm smarter than that movie. This is a piece of cake!"

Then the floor fell out from beneath her feet.

* * *

 **A/N - While the rabbit is obviously from Alice in Wonderland, I got the idea to use that idea from the song the title of this chapter is taken from.**  
 ****Shout out to LFFL on FB and the glitter fuckery idea. haha**


	7. Chapter 6 - Shadows will rise and fall

**A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 6 -**

 **"Oh I see through the darkness**  
 **My way back home**  
 **The journey seems endless**  
 **But I'll carry on**  
 **The shadows will rise**  
 **And they will fall"**

\- **"The Path" - HIM**

* * *

Madison screamed as she dropped backward down a shaft that suddenly appeared beneath her feet. She had no time to react and try to move or grab at the top.

She soon realized her fall was being impeded by things sticking out of the sides. They felt like large, thick leaves or maybe some type of fungus. While the thought made her shiver, right now it was her only chance from going splat wherever this hole ended.

She was falling too fast and this vertical passage seemed to go on forever. She wasn't sure which scared her more. Possibly dying in a horrible drop, surviving said drop but being seriously injured then dying a slow death, or falling forever. This place was magic after all, maybe this was a bottomless pit?

By blind chance, her wrist landed smack in one of the things, which automatically closed firmly around said body part.

Ok maybe this was even worse, maybe the things were Venus fly traps and she was going to be eaten!

But then when no pain came from a bite, she gasped in relief while dangling from her arm.

She glanced down the tunnel to see how close she was to the bottom, but all she saw were outlines of whatever these things were. She craned her neck up and the opening seemed very far away. She was so screwed.

As she peered back down, with some blinking, she was able to see what had a hold of her: a hand. That's what the passage was lined with, countless hands, groping air like reeds underwater. What The Fuck?

Now she felt sick to her stomach, she was in the grip of a hand with no arm or body attached to it and with no way to release herself.

She was twisting, freaking out, "Help!"

Her continuous movement caused it to let her go and she started falling again, but not very fast due to all the appendages slowing her descent. Constantly sliding, and what felt like groping, against parts of her body.  
"Stop it! Help!"

She was writhing, trying to grasp at anything. Her hand brushed against one of them, it responded immediately by grasping her firmly.  
Right as she was debating possibly using them to climb up, like a ladder of sorts, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

To her bewilderment, she saw that hands to one side of her face had contrived to form into a face of sorts. Using finger and thumb circles for eyes and two of them working together to shape a mouth. Then the mouth spoke to her.

"What do you mean, 'Help,'?" it said, We _are_ helping."

Another 'face' to her other side continued,"We're Helping Hands."

Suddenly she felt the hands reaching for her, taking hold of her legs and body. Gripping her thighs, legs, ankles, neck, butt. Oh My God! Was she going to be molested by bodiless hands? Would they shred her clothes and do unspeakable things? Or tear her apart after breaking her neck?

The horrible scenarios just wouldn't stop invading her mind.

"You're hurting," Madison replied, trying to adjust her position.

Now there were many more faces around her, watching. They were even blinking!

"Would you like us to let go?" One of them asked.

Then she felt herself slip down the shaft until she yelled, "No!"

Instantly she was held again by many of the handsy appendages.

Another face said," Well then, come on, which way?"

"Which way?" she asked.

"Up or down?" Another one asked.

Now they just started chiming in, her hearing the voices but not always seeing which formation of hands it belonged to.

"Come on come on."

"We haven't got all day."

"Well, it's a big decision for her."

"Which way do you want to go, hmm?"

"Yes, which way?"

Madison contemplated. The idea of having them handle her the whole way up to the light that seemed so far away seemed kind of dampened. She was already going to have so many bruises, going up was going to be uncomfortable and possibly painful.

Down was unknown, an abyss. But her bag had already slipped during her fall and it had all of her supplies. Neither way seemed appealing, but.."Well, since I'm pointed that way, I guess I'll go down." The movie couldn't be 100% correct, right? It would just be too weird. Not that this whole situation wasn't strange on its own, but what were the chances?

"She chose dooown."

"She chose down? Ha!"

Many of the faces were snickering.

"Was that wrong?" she panicked, as they started handing her down the tunnel.

"Too late now," one of them answered.

They held her momentarily above a manhole cover while they removed it, then dropped her carefully through it.

The bottom hands waved at her, the cover was dropped back in place with a _clang_ , then all was silent.

She was now in pitch dark. She sat in shock for a moment, then slowly reached around the dank smelling area for her bag. Hoping to avoid any unpleasant creatures or anything else she'd rather not come into contact with.

She managed to find it not far from her spot and hugged it to her, worrying. She never truly had been afraid until now. The realization was setting in that she may die here and never return home.

* * *

The Goblin King watched her silent face in his crystal. "She's in the oubliette," he observed.

The goblins around him cackled wickedly, dancing around with merriment.

"Shut up! She should not have gotten as far as the oubliette," he said. "She should have given up by now. Especially with me rerouting her from the direct path to the castle."

They froze, their heads turned to look at their King. One ventured to say, "She'll never give up."

"Won't she? The dwarf's about to lead her back to the beginning. She'll soon give up when she realizes she has to start all over again." He smiled as he finished speaking, then laughed.

The goblins weren't sure what their reaction should be, so they stayed silent until Jareth said, "Well? Laugh."

They all launched into cackles and snickers, once again starting their chaos.

Jareth peered at the crystal a moment longer, once again proud of his soon to be Queen for getting so far. Even after he had set her back already, she forged on, determined. But surely now she would admit defeat? He would graciously accept a trade of her for the boy. Then they would live as the humans would say, Happily Ever After.

He threw back his blond head and laughed in his smoky tone, then threw the crystal ball into the air where it vanished like a bubble, with a touch of glitter.

* * *

Madison sat still where she had been deposited, frozen with her arms around her pack.

Now she was wishing she had braved the bruises and chosen up. She would be in the light right now.

After a little while she heard a scratching sound. She gasped out loud, "Who's there?"

"Me," answered a gruff voice, laughing.

She heard another scratching, then light flared. Hoggle stood illuminated by the wall.

"Oh it's you," she blew out a breath as she stood up, hoisting her bag over her head after she reattached the strap that had slipped loose, causing its initial fall.

"Yes well, I knew you were gonna get into trouble the moment I met you. So I've come to give you a hand," he walked over to a section of the wall that surrounded the hole. She gazed at where she was, now that there was light.

He crossed his arms,"Oh, you're looking around now, aren't you? I suppose you've noticed, there ain't no doors. Only the hole." He laughed.

She rotated around, confirming that he was right, there was no exit.

When she had turned back to face him, he continue with his arms spread out,"This is an oubliette. The labyrinth's full of them."

"Really?" she was walking around now. She was also remembering the movie. Every time she thought she was deviating from it, she seemed to get right back on the path. It was really starting to irritate her. But she couldn't be rude, he was her only way out if she remembered correctly.

She looked down at him,"Ok so I'm gonna cut to the chase as I don't have time to be reciting some preordained script. An oubliette is a place you put people to forget about them. I need out of here and you know a short cut right? But I don't want out of the whole labyrinth, so if we could make a deal for you to take me as far as you can?" She kneeled down to look him in the eyes.

He seemed to be getting used to her jumping ahead. He patted her arm,"It gets a lot worse from here on in. Nice young girl. Terrible black oubliette. You needs to get out of the whole place."

She caught sight of chain of ornaments dangling from his belt. Still kneeling, she asked,"You like jewelry don't you?"

"Why?" he asked hesitantly, backing up slightly.

She pulled her bag in front of her and pulled off her carabiner attached to one of the metal clasps. On it was a blue and green beaded bracelet that was too big for her slim wrist, but she had wanted to keep it. She unhooked it and held it up,"If you just get me as far as you can, I'll give you this."

He pretended to not be interested.

"I mean, if you don't want it, then fine." She got up and started wandering away, sliding the bag behind her, still dangling the bracelet once she reattached the empty carabiner.

He stuttered for a second,"Uh um..tell you what. You give me the bracelet and I'll show you the way out of the labyrinth." He followed her.

She turned around,"I'm sorry? But do I look stupid? I am trying very hard not to be rude, but trying to trick me is just low. Either you take me as far as you can, meaning into the labyrinth and not out of it, or no bracelet."

"What is that anyway?" he asked.

She held it down in front of his face, "Plastic."

"Ooooh. Ok I don't promise nothing but...I'll take ya as far as I can, then you're on your own, right?"

She nodded her head,"Right."

He confirmed,"Right." Then he took the bracelet from her hand and slid it around his wrist. "Plastic!"

He hobbled over to the side and pushed a dirty canvas of sorts out of the way, revealing a wooden board. "Here we go."

He hoisted it up to the wall, showing that it had a doorknob on it. He pulled it open to be greeted by pots and pans, she even glimpsed a broom still inside.  
He kicked the bric-a-brac with his foot, muttering,"Damn. Broom closet." Then he turned to face her,"Well, can't be right all the time."

He closed the door then moved the knob to the other side and opened it, revealing a dimly lit tunnel. "Ah, this is it. Come on then."

As they made their way down the passage, she looked around. The walls were made of carved rock, seeming to sparkle. "Is everything glitterfied here?' She mumbled to herself.

They quickly came to a fork in the path and he continued down the one on the left with no hesitation,"This way."

Immediately after, she heard a booming voice,"DON'T GO ON!" Thankfully her memory continued to prove to be exceptional, as she had a suspicion they'd be running into these things.

They were giant faces carved into the rocks. The facial features moved, including the big mouths.

They continued on as she and Hoggle walked.

"Go back while you still can."

"This is not the way!"

"Take heed and go no further."

"Beware. Beware."

The rounded a corner away from the path of warnings, but then encountered more.

"Soon it will be too late." One stated behind her.

Hoggle finally acknowledged them and turned to her for a second,"Eh. Don't pay any attention to them. They're just false alarms. You get a lot of them in the labyrinth. Especially when you're on the right track." He continued his short steps on, her following behind.

She already knew what they were, but was tired of fighting against the explanations, so she just let him go on. She needed to conserve her energy and it seemed the more she tried to waylay everything, the more it just fought back and kept on going.

After he got done explaining, another carved face piped up,"Oh, no, you're not."

Hoggle faced him,"Oh, shut up."

"Sorry just doing my job."

"Well you don't have to do it to us."

The next face started,"Beware, for the.."

Hoggle held a hand up,"Just.. forget it."

"Oh pleeease, I haven't said it for such a long time."

Hoggle turned around as he had already started to pass it,"Oh, alright. But don't expect a big reaction."

"No no no, of course not." It cleared its throat then continued in a deeper voice,"For the path you will take will lead to certain destruction." Then in its normal voice,"Thank you very much."

All of a sudden a crystal ball went rolling by their feet. Hoggle muttered,"Oh..no.."

They turned a corner and saw the crystal jump into a hat that was upturned on the ground by a blind beggar sitting with his back to the wall in the shadows.

The beggar turned his face toward her,"Ah, what do have we here?"

"Uh, nothin," Hoggle backed up.

"Nothing? _Nothing_?! Tra la la!" The beggar rose up. His facade was lifted away to reveal the Goblin King.

Hoggle was frozen and Madison gasped in surprise. He was wearing a brown leather jacket with an uneven collar, a white poet's shirt underneath that with the sickle shaped charm bouncing against his chest as he moved, an obscenely tight grey pair of pants, riding boots coming up almost to his knees, and black gloves.

It was also interesting that more light flooded the tunnel with his appearance. She scoffed inwardly at the pompous arrogance that he had to broadcast his importance.

Hoggle broke his petrified state,"Your Majesty. What a nice surprise."

Jareth looked down at the dwarf, "Hello Hedgewart."

Madison refused to interject in this confrontation, even though she had a feeling she was expected to say 'Hogwart.'

The dwarf replied,"Hoggle, Your Majesty."

Jareth cocked his head,"Hoggle can it be you're helping this girl?"

"H..helping, in what sense?"

The King flung the cloak away he had been holding since showing his true form,"In the sense that you're leading her towards the castle." He put his gloved hands on his narrow hips.

"No, I was taking her back to the beginning, Your Majesty."

Madison did pretend to act surprised as she didn't know how much the King knew about the movie,"What?" She stared down with a shocked expression.

Hoggle spoke directly to Jareth,"I told her I was gonna help her solve the labyrinth, a little trickery on my part..." he laughed slightly. Jareth had kneeled down, pretending to listen intently with his hand to his chin, as Hoggle continued."..but actually.."

Jareth interjected, "What _is_ that plastic thing round your wrist?"

"Oh!" Hoggle hid his arms behind his back for a second, then pulled them back out. "Oh, this!" He laughed nervously. "My goodness, where did this come from?" He stared at his wrist intently, like the bracelet had appeared by magic.

Jareth straightened back up sighing,"Higgle.."

"Hoggle," the short creature interjected almost absently, as if he was used to doing it a lot without thinking.

"Yes..If I thought for one second you were betraying me, I'd be forced to suspend you headfirst in the Bog of Eternal Stench." He advanced toward Hoggle as the latter backed up.

At that declaration, Hoggle fell to his knees, gripping the King's leg,"Noo, Your Majesty. Not the Eternal Stench!"

"Oh yes Hoggle!" Jareth shook him off his leg to fall over.

Then he turned to Madison. He slowly walked toward her with his hands behind his back. "And you, Sarah. How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?" He placed a gloved hand on the wall above her head and leaned in.

She had had enough of these games. She refused to say it was a piece of cake and have the cleaners sicked on her.

She stared him straight in the eye, as she crossed her arms in front of her, "Look Mr High and Mighty, this is getting ridiculous. You've already cheated, switching the straight path to the castle so I was still forced to take the obscenely long way. I am sick of pretending. No, this is not easy. I would be stupid to say otherwise, but you have to have more important things to do besides playing games with a mortal girl?" She raised an eyebrow at the end.

Jareth was surprised, though he kept a schooled face outwardly. He had been expecting her pride to declare that it was easy and he would conjure the cleaners.

Once again she proved that she was his mate in every way. He was starting to enjoy the verbal sparring that had been initiated when she made the wish. Some men may prefer a simpering, unintelligent girl, but he preferred a woman that had her own mind. He wanted a mate, not an ornament. He hoped she would be his match in the bedroom as well. He looked forward to exploring that in depth.

"At this moment, Precious, nothing is more important than your journey in my labyrinth," he smirked, leaning so close that he was pressing against her crossed arms.

She frowned, "Also, how do you know my real first name?"

The smirk widened into a full grown wicked smile,"Perhaps the answer to that will be incentive for you to give up this charade, hmm? You cannot win. No one has. I promise to go easy on you if you surrender now."

She dropped her hands in outrage and poked him in the chest,"I will not! I _will_ beat your ass if it's the last thing I do!"

"Careful Dear, starting to tread on dangerous waters." Couldn't let her get too out of hand. It was a fine line.

She glared into his mismatched eyes, then laughed. "This is more of a circus than a labyrinth. Your monkeys bow to your whim because you use fear to control them. That is NOT the way to be a great ruler."

He stared at her with a blank expression. He didn't back up, but stood up to his full height to intimidate her.

She continued, beyond incensed at him,"Well guess what _Your Majesty?_ " She mocked his title,"This is NOT my circus, nor are the creatures here my monkeys." She started to walk around him, noticing Hoggle gaping with his mouth open, at the exchange.

Jareth spent enough time Aboveground to know she wasn't being literal, but in other words was saying she wasn't playing his game anymore. That none of this was her problem. He also was angered at her saying he wasn't a great ruler. How dare she? She would learn to curb that tongue. It was time to teach her a lesson.

"Well, if it's not your circus, then perhaps you won't mind upping the stakes, hmm?" A thirteen hour clock appeared in mid air. He rotated his finger, causing the clock to wind down a few hrs.

"That's not fair!" she blurted.

He finished taking hours off and the clock disappeared. "You say that so often. I wonder what your basis for comparison is," he said as he circled her.

She didn't think she said it much and as King she would think he wasn't forced to keep on the nonexistent script. Whatever, she shrugged.

"Just more cheating," she said aloud.

"I think it's time you find out just how very much this is your circus," he grinned enough to reveal the pointed canines, as a crystal ball appeared between his gloved hands. She was starting to learn just how bad that was. It usually meant things were going his way, which didn't bode well for her.

Before she could react, he threw the crystal down the tunnel. A backlash of glitter blinded her and when she could see again, she gasped.

* * *

 **A/N - The last chapter was kinda short, at least for this story. My other Labyrinth fic MNSAA tends to have short chapters. So this one is over twice the length of those. Think of this chapter as "in beat" (refer to the prologue and the author's note with the description of what a syncopated groove is). The next chapter will be out of beat. hehe  
**

 **Not any feedback from the previous one so I hope this chapter helps.**


	8. Chapter 7 - Pull the noose tighter

**A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 7-  
**

 **"You think you're gonna hurt me**  
 **Get ready to get dirty**  
 **You created this beast inside**  
 **Pull the noose tighter**  
 **And lift a little higher**  
 **Because you're killing me slow**  
 **But I ain't ready to die"**

\- " **Circus for a Psycho" - Skillet**

* * *

Madison coughed repeatedly, waving her hands to get rid of the glitter that was as obnoxious as its owner.

When her vision cleared, she saw she was no longer in the tunnel. All that met her eyes were shades of red and black, large backdrops.

Hoggle was gone and she seemed to be alone. Then she made the mistake of looking down and promptly clutched at the pole next to her. She was on an insanely high platform. She wasn't exactly scared of heights, but this wasn't an amusement park ride where she was safely strapped in.

The platform was very small and there were no steps or ladder. She got down on her knees, trying to make herself as small as possible. Gripping the edge she ventured another glance down to see how far up she was. She gasped and backed up. There was no floor! Was he seriously trying to kill her?! This was surely the bottomless pit and she was freaking stranded!

Suddenly she heard laughing, causing her to look up. A small figure was flying at her with alarming speed. It was going to hit her right off the little platform!  
Right as it would've crashed into her, it swung upwards on a trapeze and then grabbed her arms on the downswing. She was yanked off her only haven and went sailing through the air.

The figure was a blur above her, still laughing hysterically.

"Help!" Madison screamed in desperation, not that she expected any aid.

Next thing she knew, she was flipped into a somersault of sorts with her bag banging wildly against her body.

Her heart was beating so erractically inside her chest, she feared she would have a heart attack.

Instead, as she completed the unwilling flip, her arms were once again caught. These hands were larger and held more of her limbs.

He had also caught her on the upswing and now took her hostage in the opposite direction, further and further away from the platform. He was not laughing, which she took mild comfort in.

Unlike the previous unknown gender figure, this one didn't throw her into a somersault. She was disappointed cause there was another platform on the other end. Maybe she could've landed there with some luck.

His grip stayed tight as they reversed back to the direction they had come from.

As they swung back, she once again heard the almost maniacal laughing.

"Crap," she muttered. Then she was released and caught by the psychotic. They made their way back through the air to her original platform. She was hopeful this was just a test and she was about to be deposited.

They sailed up near her safe spot, then went flying back the other way.

Once again she was caught by the stronger grip.

And so it went, what felt like hours but was likely just minutes. Back and forth. Back and forth.

She finally tried yelling at the quiet figure, "Is there a way out of here?"

He glanced down at her, his face still a blur from above. "No. You will swing with us forever," he said in a deep voice.

Then the laughing figure, she decided to call it the hyena, grabbed her again.

She decided to try with this one and repeated her question, which seemed to make it laugh even harder. It didn't answer as it handed her back off to Schwarzenegger, as she was calling the other one. She fumed in silence while being flipped again and again like a monkey.

Then finally had enough when the hyena had her again and repeated her question a third time, glaring at the small figure.

It still laughed but looked down at her. "Only way is to let go and chance the fall, " it finally replied in a squeaky voice.

She contemplated this through another rotation of hand off and back. Her wrists were getting sore and her hip was hurting where her pack kept banging relentlessly. She didn't want to fall possibly forever, but she also couldn't stay being passed back and forth becoming an unwilling third acrobat indefinitely in this psychotic circus.

She took a deep breath and when hyena had her again, she yelled, "Let me go!" She felt surprise and then her wrists were released.

She braced herself for the fall, instead Schwarzenegger caught her once again and wrapped a long silky red and black fabric around her neck. "No one leaves unless they die." Then he let her drop. She heard hyena cackling as she dropped, this time with no one to catch her.

She was panicking in those few precious seconds before her death, but managed to shove a hand up through the loop about to hang her. Before her weight caught the fabric and broke her neck, she caught the brunt of it with one armpit. That hurt like a mofo and she knew she would be bruised under her arm as well as her wrists if she made it through this hellish place alive.

The fabric started jerking violently as she tried to work it under her other arm, causing her to abandon that idea and hang on for dear life.

Then two figures from opposite directions came hurdling towards her, both trailing more lengths of black and red fabric with them.

They looked identical to the two way above her, but how was that possible?

She then noticed the trapezes were not attached to anything, just suspended in the air by magic. Why should that have surprised her? Logic didn't apply in this effed up place.

They wrapped the cloths around her, rotating. She realized they were trying to make her immobile by binding her tight.

 _Like hell!_

She punched hyena in the face as it came back in front of her, causing it to wobble but catch the trapeze and glide away.

Schwarzenegger had swung after his 'friend'. So she took the time to untangle the new lengths from her arms and then untwisted the cloth from her throat.

Once the imminent danger of the broken neck or suffocation was out of the way she gripped the fabric tight and started to slowly slide.

Every time she risked a glance down, there was still no end. But she continued, cause what other choice did she have?

Then a blur came at her again, this time not laughing, but it was small so it had to be the psycho formerly known as hyena. She smirked. Guess she taught it a lesson when she punched it. It probably thought it was invincible.

Then Schwarzenegger came from the same direction and both started rotating, twirling the cloth she was hanging onto like the people who do silks for a living do.

Unfortunately that wasn't something she ever took as she swung around wildly, she continued her trek down.

She was starting to get nauseous from the constant spinning though and couldn't keep doing it much longer. Who knew when they would try to trap her in more fabric again?

She knew what she had to do, so she took a deep breath and let go before she could overthink her decision.

Then she went into a free fall.

And kept falling...

* * *

Jareth was pacing back and forth, his heeled boots clicking against the stone floor. His mismatched eyes peered intently into the crystal orb in his gloved hand with slight concern, making his thin lips even thinner.

When the girl defied him once again in the tunnels, he had to show her who had the upper hand. So he sent her to the never ending trapeze section of the Labyrinth. This was meant to be a punishment for any runner deserving of such a fate. The free fall was forever, the individual suspended in time, never dying. It truly was a fate worse than death. Only reserved for the most evil beings.

He was slightly proud of her intelligence in getting away from the acrobats and the courage it took her to let go.

He stilled his relentless movement and continued to watch her fall, seeing the terror build on her face as she began to realize there may be no bottom.  
His lips turned into a satisfied grin. She had to realize the seriousness of this situation and he would gladly enlighten her.

* * *

 **A/N - I really didn't intend to write a dark Jareth, I like my Jareth dark-lite. haha But Madison must be taught a lesson.**

 **Got this idea from the song the lyrics are from. Almost the whole chapter ties in with it. Madison is literally hung in the air by a quasi-noose. Jareth is metaphorically hanging himself by his actions in regards to her. What a tangled noose we hang by. Muhaha**

 **No contributions have been left in the little box for a long time. It's emitting moths and crickets. :(**


	9. Chapter 8 - Uncertainty waits

**Since this chapter is heavily in sync with the movie (though not the whole way), I need to say. Not mine.**

 **Maybe?... Nope. Not mine. *goes to drown my sorrows***

* * *

 **A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 8 –**

 **Time's testing your faith just left there to waste**  
 **All hope disappears so summon the strength**  
 **Now nothing is left, death is hunting the weak**  
 **Now break these chains with broken bones, become the enemy**  
 **The ends in sight now you're the hunter show no empathy**  
 **Unsure of you fate, uncertainty waits your struggle within**

 **\- "** ** **Hell Or High Water" - Bullet For My Valentine  
****

* * *

A figure waved a furry paw and Madison's endless fall ended by bouncing in a circus net, the kind used by trapeze artists.

She went up in the air a few times until finally coming to a stop in the middle of the net. Her bag was digging into her back, but she lay there catching her breath and trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. She didn't know how long she had been in the endless fall, but it was long enough to fear she would never get out. She stared up into the nothingness. There were no Hyena and Schwarzenegger, no trapezes, no platforms. The net she was in seemed to be held up by nothing. She much preferred that to the nightmare she had just endured. Her side was still sore from her bag constantly banging into it as she was flipped back and forth.

She didn't know how time worked in this place, whether she was out of her 13 hours or not. There was no Goblin King, so she assumed the clock was still ticking. She decided even if she only had a few minutes left she would go out fighting, then heaved herself to a sitting position. But then when she tried to stand up, she couldn't get her balance to walk to the edge. She tried jumping a bit, inching towards to the side, but there was less give the closer she got, and ended up back in the middle of the net. Next she tried crawling on her knees, but kept sliding back to the center.

She moved the bag to her front and collapsed on her back, out of breath.

* * *

"I am not happy with your interference," Jareth stood glaring into the crystal in his gloved hand, but addressing his current company. "She needs to be taught a lesson of how serious this is."

"I am setting things right. You should not have interfered either. She must run her course. This journey is for her, not you. Do you want her to hate you?"

"It matters not. Hate is passion, which can be transformed to love. But if not love, her destiny is still with me," Jareth replied.

"I caution you not to turn her from the path she needs to take, it shall not end well."

"If she wins, it shall not end well regardless. I need a Queen and she is prophesied to be her. She must lose."

The being shook its furry head and sighed. "Then you shall have to learn the hard way. You both are very much alike."

Jareth laughed at that, "She is but a mortal, currently. I am a powerful Fae King. There are no similarities." His mismatched eyes finally flicked to his companion.

"You both have a lot to learn Goblin King and everything to lose. I fear my interferences are not done if you insist on influencing her from her course."  
Jareth paid no heed and turned back to watching the sphere and his soon to be Queen's journey.

* * *

"There ya are. I thought Jareth sent you to the Bog of Eternal Stench." Madison heard a familiar voice say.

She turned on her side and saw a craggy face with bushy eyebrows peering through the net at her. "Hoggle!"

Then she felt it dip down and she started to roll to the side.

"Hurry up! " Hoggle replied, grunting with the effort of holding the net with his stubby arms.

She quickly scooted to the dip he had created and slid off. Once she was free, he let it spring back in place.

"Oh sweet, solid ground! I'll never take you for granted again!" she exclaimed, jumping a bit.

"Are ye gonna hop around all day like that rabbit that I followed to find ya or do you want out of this place?" Hoggle was standing watching her with his hands on his hips.

Madison stopped her movement, "Yeah yeah. I'm done. You try being in an endless fall then can't get out of a stupid trapeze net and see if you don't love the ground too."

Hoggle just grunted and started walking to a doorway on the side of the room. She followed. "Where are we going?" she asked, adjusting her bag to her other side that hadn't taken the beating in the air.

"Don't know, just away from here. This is the way I came and found you."

She looked around as they walked, noticing what appeared to be a deserted circus ring with hoops, empty cages, abandoned clown car, props; all in the same shades of red and black as the trapeze cloths from her recent nightmarish experience. Her gut feeling said this place was evil, no good came here.

She sped up to Hoggle as she hadn't realized she'd fallen behind while perusing her surroundings. He disappeared through the exit and she almost ran after him. When she was on the other side she looked up, finding herself on the outside of a red and black circus tent and they had just come through a flap.

"Curious-er and curious-er," she mumbled.

Then she turned around and found herself looking at well trimmed hedges- box hedges, running straight with neatly cut openings in them. They looked at each other, then she shrugged and started walking. Randomly picking openings, turning here and there, Hoggle following - just as lost as she was.

It was a nice change from the gloominess of the tunnels and horrible trapeze act. The sky was blue, the birds were singing, the hedges were green and flourishing, yet neatly trimmed.

But she quickly realized the cheeriness was a facade for another detour in this God forsaken place. The mini maze of greenery with stone monuments placed here and there, turned them left and right and back again so much that it wasn't possible to make any progress toward the castle. Frequently it could be seen, the spires and turrets looming in the distance above the hedges, but no matter how far or fast they walked, they never drew any closer.

As they wandered, her thoughts seemed to follow. She was so angry at that damned Fae. How dare he put her through all this?! He was probably watching her right now, gloating. She flicked a middle finger in the air, never breaking stride.

Then out of nowhere came an enormous blood-curdling roar, sounding dangerously nearby, freezing the pair in their tracks.

Hoggle spun around after it came again, heading back the way they came.

"Hey!" Madison cried, grabbing at his clothing. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"Away!" He struggled to get out of her grasp. He finally managed to get his clothing to slide from her fingers, but she darted forward and snatched the chain of baubles from his belt.

He staggered towards her with the force, "Hey! Give that back!"

"Nope. You can have it back after you help me get through the Labyrinth," she danced backwards holding her prize high out of his reach.

He hopped up trying fruitlessly to grab them. "Them's my rightful property! It's not fair!"

"No, it isn't," she conceded. Then smiled in acceptance, "That's the way it is here."

They were at a standoff. Him glaring up at his baubles still held in her hand above his head. Her looking down, not taunting but not willing to relent.

Then the roar came again after silence and Hoggle spun on his heels. "Keep it! Goodbye!" Then he ran away as fast as his short legs would carry him.

"Hoggle! You coward!" she called after him. But he had already disappeared into the hedges.

After another roar she realized it hadn't gotten any closer in the time she had been there. "I'll be damned if I'm gonna be afraid, " she said out loud. "Things aren't always what they seem in this place." She couldn't go back the way they had come, she wasn't facing that circus tent again. She'd rather take her chances with the possible monster.

She cautiously started forward, using the roars as her guide. She peeked through a gap in a hedge and felt validated - things definitely aren't what they seem. There was a monster, terrifyingly huge, but he was strung upside down suspended by one leg to a tree. The roar was due to pain because multiple small goblins were tormenting it with nipper sticks- long poles with small, fierce creatures on the end of them that bit like piranhas when given the chance.

The beast was covered in shaggy, ginger hair. He flailed out haplessly at the goblins, but all that achieved was its body swinging back and forth. That improved the twisted game for his tormentors, giving each an opportunity to dart in for their turns without much effort. They were clearly having the time of their lives. They particularly enjoyed when they managed to get a soft spot of the beast's body with the nipper sticks, then jumping back before the beast's arms could swing at them.

"Try this for size, you big Yeti!"

"We got you now, Fuzzball!"

"All together now!"

"Sock it to him! Sock it to him!"

"If only I had something to throw," Madison muttered to herself.

She felt something nudge her foot and looked down. It was a little rock in a good throwing size. She picked it up, took aim, and threw  
it at the nearest goblin. It hit him on the head, knocking the visor of his helmet down.

"Hey!" it exclaimed, turning around blind, swinging the nipper stick. "What happened? Who turned out the lights? I can't see!"  
The creature on the end of stick wasn't selective, it was happy to bite anything within its reach. Which turned out to be another goblin.

"Ouch! Why'd you bite me? Who bite me?" It also started turning around and around. "Who bite me? Who bite me?"

The first one still exclaiming, "I can't see!"

"What is going on?"

Another rock nudged Madison's shoe, so she picked it up and threw that one. Causing a visor on another helmet to be knocked down.

From there, chaos ensued. The blind goblins were hitting the others. The creatures on the sticks were having the time of their lives,  
nipping at any body part coming close enough, which was now constant.

The goblins started yelling, "Retreat! Retreat!"

Madison was trying to hold her laughter in and the group staggered away through the hedges, the nipper sticks still snapping their teeth  
at anything in reach.

"Who bit me?"

"My aching sushi!"

Once they were gone and the noise faded away, she came out of her hiding place. She slowly approached the great beast.

When the shaggy brute saw another being coming towards it, it thought another tormentor had come and started bellowing as it continued to struggle.

"Now stop that," Madison said.

The sound and movement ceased, "Mmm?"

"Is that any way to treat someone who's trying to help you?"

"Uh?"

"Don't you want me to help you down?" She turned her face sideways to try to look it in the eyes.

"Ludo down," it replied sadly. The fight seemed to have gone out of the beast. The face was still fearsome in a way, ox-like horns, sunken eyes, an enormous jaw with a fang protruding at each end, and a broad gaping mouth that looked grim.

"Ludo? Is that your name?" Madison reached up to scratch it under the chin. Where she got this great idea, she didn't know.

"Ludo," it confirmed.

"Oh, you seem like such a nice beast. Against my better judgment I'm going to pray you're what you seem to be." Then she walked around to the tree to try to work the rope free that was tied to his foot.

He started to squirm and make noise.

"Hold on hold on. I'm trying to get you down." The rope was knotted pretty good for a bunch of brainless goblins. She struggled with it and then suddenly it untwined and down Ludo went onto the ground.

"Crap! I'm sorry!" She rushed to his side to help him up. "Are you hurt?"

Then she realized how stupid that was. He weighed too much. He managed to get to his feet on his own after a minute. Then he focused on her, "Friend?"

"That's right, Ludo. I'm Madison."

"M..M..Ma.." he became frustrated with the multiple syllables, it was too much for his simple mind.

She sighed, "You can call me Sarah." She realized outrunning her first name was not an option here.

That perked him up, "Sarah." Then he moved towards her, enveloping her in his huge, furry arms. "Sarah friend."

"Wait. Personal space. Ludo, please let go!" She started to wheeze from lack of oxygen. He released her and stepped back.

Once she got her breath back, she looked up at him, "I want to ask you something."

He moved his head in an almost questioning manner, "What?"

"I need to get to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth. Do you know the way?"

He thought hard for a moment, "Uh. Um. AH."

Her hopes skyrocketed for a second. Then...

"No, " he hung his head in shame.

Madison sighed, "You don't know either, eh? I wonder if anyone does. It's ok, Ludo. Don't feel bad." She patted his arm.

Then she happened to look behind him. "Hey. Where did they come from?"

Two doors with knockers on them, in a stone wall, had appeared. Each one had a repulsive face with a ring set in it. The knocker on the left had the ring coming out of its ears and the one on the right held the ring in its mouth.

She walked up to them while analyzing the pair. "Well Ludo, what do you think? Which of these two weirdo looking creatures should we choose?"

After a moment of both companions pondering, the left knocker spoke up. "It's very rude to stare!" it stated very loudly.

She had a feeling they talked, deja vu from the movie and all. All she could do was laugh. "Sorry, just trying to decide which one of you I should pick."

"What?" the knocker said just as loud as before.

The other one started mumbling.

The one she had currently been trying to talk to said to the other, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

The other knocker continued to mumble something around the ring.

"Hang on, I have no idea what you're saying." She walked over to it and pulled the ring out.

As soon as it was removed, the knocker gasped, moving its mouth. "Oh..oh...oh. It feels so good to get that thing out."

Madison gave it a minute then asked, "So what were you trying to say?"

"I said, it's no good talking to him. He's as deaf as a post."

The first knocker replied, "Mumble, mumble, mumble. You're a wonderful conversational companion."

"You can talk! All you do is moan!"

"No good. Can't hear you."

The one currently ringless just sighed.

Madison took advantage of the break in the argument to ask, "Where do these doors lead?"

Mr. Deaf replied, "What?"

"Search me, we're just the knockers!" Then the one without his ring laughed.

Madison was afraid that was going to be the answer. It was her turn to sigh. The she figured she'd just get it over with, "I have to knock and the door will open, right?"

"Correct."

She turned and saw Ludo had put the ring in his mouth. "Ludo! Yuck! Give me that back." She struggled to wiggle it out of his mouth until it suddenly popped free.

But instead of putting it back in the slightly helpful knocker's mouth, she decided to be mischievous and shoved it in the deaf one's mouth before it knew what was happening. It started mumbling wildly.

She looked to the other one and said, "Enjoy your freedom." Then knocked with both rings and walked through the door when it creaked open. She could hear the ringless knocker yelling its gratitude. She smiled.

* * *

Jareth was laughing with much enjoyment at his mate's actions. "Little Sarah, what a wonder you are. That is something I would have done. Perhaps we are more alike than I originally thought!" He said to the crystal that had barely left his hand. "It's such a shame I have to cause you more misery, but it must be done, Precious. You shall soon see everything I do is for the good of this kingdom and our future together." Then he waved his hand not holding the sphere and watched.

* * *

As Ludo and Madison stepped into the doorway, they found themselves in a dark forest. Hardly any light filtering down through the treetops. Ludo stopped on the threshold, feeling something wasn't right.

"Come on Ludo, it's ok." Madison coaxed.

Ludo trusted his new friend. As soon as he was clear of the door, it slammed shut behind him and promptly disappeared.

Madison sighed. She had hoped picking the opposite door would steer her clear of the Fiery forest, but she guessed she was destined to play out this damn movie. She had been able to alter some things, but not for the better as the circus tent had taught her. Perhaps it was best she face the Fieries. There could always be something worse, she was sure.

As they got a little ways in, she kept checking back on Ludo. She was very careful not to say anything to jinx herself in this place. That had been the main character's undoing in the movie.

Then she had to move a tree branch that had fallen over the path, so she took her attention off of him for a minute. Next thing she knew, she heard Ludo's surprised grunt. She flung the branch out of the way and spun around, to find herself alone.

"Oh come on!" She kicked some leaves on the edge of the path that had accumulated into a pile, then she let loose what she had been holding back. "It's not fucking fair! Argh!" The leaves flew up and then down in a waterfall of greens and browns.

* * *

Jareth grinned widely, showing his sharp canines to the goblins surrounding him, which made them back up. The King happy was worse than the King pissed off. That's when he came up with his most wonderfully horrible ideas.

* * *

The figure with the furry head and paws just shook its head sadly, a witness to the Goblin King's stubbornness.

* * *

 **A/N- Well hello! It's been forever, though that's not really long at all. (You had to see that coming.)**

 **I had been concentrating on a few updates on Makes No Sense At All, but now it's time to give this story some love.**

 **I know nothing really new happened. Remember, some chapters are in beat and some off beat. For the way this story is, it's a necessity.**

 **But hope you guys enjoyed it regardless. I did try to mix up the dialogue at least a little and work a little Jareth in. ;)**

 **Also this chapter is probably about 2.5 times the normal length of most of my chapters, so hopefully that helps as well.**


	10. Chapter 9- Serve sorrow, watch you drown

**A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 9 - Serving you sorrow, watching you drown**

* * *

After Madison spent a few minutes taking her frustration out on the flora and fauna around her, she resigned herself to facing the Fieries alone.

Except..she kept walking, making decisions on turns, pretty much wandering aimlessly.

No crazy creatures appeared. She didn't know whether to be relieved or on the lookout for something even worse.

After awhile she came to a river meandering through the trees. She shrugged and started following it. Not any worse than what she had been doing before. The river had to flow somewhere.

Eventually it brought her to a path where she could see lights in the near distance. As she drew closer she saw it looked like some type of house, a squat stone building, where the river seemed to flow right into it.

"What hell awaits me here?" she mumbled to herself. Then walked up to the entrance. There was a little bridge that went over the river which lead into a medium sized room. Once over the bridge, she stood in the shadows of the doorway observing what she was about to walk into.

There was one lone musician on a small green stage on the right side, dressed in a poet's shirt and dark pants, with shaggy blond hair obscuring their face while they strummed an acoustic guitar.

The other side of the room had a green bar counter and matching stools, with no occupants.

There were tables set here and there, a few with patrons. At one side of the bar, in a corner, was a figure in black with a cup held to their mouth, the shadows covering their face.

At another table, closer to the stage, was a goblin, surprisingly quiet and deep in his cups. He seemed entranced by the musician onstage.

As Madison peered around the room, the only other door she saw was near the bar, which she assumed lead to employee space and storage.

She was contemplating turning around and trying to find a different path, when a voice spoke up right behind her, "What are ya doing?"

She spun around and didn't see anyone at first, until her eyes flickered down to find Hoggle standing there with his hands on his hips.

"Oh Hoggle, you scared the crap out of me!" She had her hand to her chest, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"If ya get scared that quick, how do ya thinks you're gonna get to the castle?" a bushy eyebrow raised with his question.

"I just didn't expect anyone, it seems pretty quiet in the forest and in this building."

Hoggle peered around her into the bar, gauging the atmosphere inside. "Ah ya, the River of Life House is like that when the Fieries aren't here. I'm surprised to see they're not, no wonder it's quiet."

"Why's that?" Madison's brow furrowed at his words.

"I don't know, just that they're noisy and usually this place is sad."

"Um..ok. Well I was thinking of finding a different way. I really don't want to intrude."

"No no, yous have to go in now. The only way out of this forest is to have a drink in here. It..will show ya the way. Otherwise you'll just wander around for rest of ya life."

Madison blew out a breath in frustration, "This place is ridiculous, but ok. You're coming in with me though. I don't know what the creatures in there are like."

Hoggle looked like he was going to argue, but then nodded his head and even lead the way.

Madison had expected the musician to stop and all eyes to turn on her when she entered as she wasn't from there, but no one spared her a glance.

Hoggle lead her to a stool by the bar, motioned for her to sit, then went behind the bar and started mixing up a drink.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. "Shouldn't you wait for the bartender?"

Hoggle shook his head, "There's no one. Ya help yeself."

"Well then, who do you pay?"

"Ya don't, drinks are always on the house."

To prove his point, one of the goblins came back while Hoggle set a cup in front of her, poured himself a drink without acknowledging them, produced a match to light it on fire, then went back to his table. He left no money.

"What is this?" she gazed into the clear liquid.

"It's called Something Loud," he seemed hesitant to go further.

"And..? What's in it?" she prodded when he didn't continue.

"It's water from the River of Life, holy water, and," he produced a match from under the bar, lit it and set the liquid on fire. It flamed for a second then went out on its own. "Fire," he finished.

"Why would I drink this?" she pushed it away, trying to keep her voice low, though she wanted to yell in disgust.

"It's not what ya think."

"Poison?" she raised an eyebrow. "Why would I drink nasty river water? Plus who ever heard of drinking holy water?"

"The River of Life is not like your Above rivers. It's meant to be drunk. The fire is magical and combines with the liquids into what ya need. Holy water is just magical water in the Underground, it's not like the religion stuffs Above. That's what everyone else is drinking." Then he proceeded to make himself one. He took a sip of his and looked at her expectantly.

She sighed, "Oh alright." She let the barest trace of the liquid pass her lips. Once it slid down her throat and she gave it a minute, not feeling any side effects, she sipped some more of it. It tasted sweet, like peaches. Pretty soon she had finished the whole thing.

"OK, I admit, that was way better than what I was expecting," she said to Hoggle.

"Told ya." Then he took her cup and mixed another drink. His cup has disappeared, she assumed he had finished it, and that he was going to make himself another.

She was about to say she wasn't sure if she should have another, but a tranquil feeling was creeping over her. She felt quite at home here all of a sudden. It was silly she had been so hesitant to even step foot inside.

She put her elbow on the counter and propped her head on her hand, turning halfway around to watch the musician onstage.

 _Had he been singing before?_

 _Oh who cares._ She took another sip of peaches as she was able to make out the words now.

 _"I go down to the river of life_  
 _Every night for a cure to my worrying mind_  
 _Though the drinks are always on the house_  
 _They'll be serving you sorrow, watching you drown"_

No sooner had she finished her current drink, then her cup was refilled. She turned to tell Hoggle no more, but he was gone and in his place stood the Goblin King, still in the same brown leather jacket attire as in the tunnels. He was grinning at her, revealing his pointed canines.

She smiled slightly in return. She should be pissed at him, but all she felt was tranquility, the need to be docile. No need to get all worked up.

 _"For the man with a curious soul_  
 _Every drink has a price, if you swallow it whole._  
 _For the ones, who like it strong_  
 _In every pull from the draft… you'll say"_

He pushed the refilled cup towards her, "Down the hatch Sarah, all your troubles will soon be over."

She complied and this time drained the concoction. It didn't even dawn on her to correct him on her name.

 _"Give me something stronger_  
 _Pour some holy water_  
 _Baptize me in fire_  
 _Give me something loud."_

Her vision became fuzzy and she couldn't concentrate any longer. Yet her cup refilled again, was placed in her hand, and he urged her to down this one quickly too.

She didn't feel sick or drunk, just the desire to be meek and obliging. She was so far gone that this didn't worry her stubborn self at all. She just kept drinking and listening to the wonderful musician. How could she not have noticed how amazing his music was before?

 _"Every night at the river of life_  
 _There's a lonely musician selling his strife_  
 _In the corner is a Lady in black,_  
 _And a con-artisan is drawing a blank_  
 _Every pint is a picture of home_  
 _And if you're a regular here you're probably drinking alone_  
 _For a stiff drink, you're out of luck_  
 _In every pull from the draft… you'll say_

 _Give me something stronger_  
 _Pour some holy water_  
 _Baptize me in fire_  
 _Give me something loud"_

As she slipped into oblivion, Jareth hoisted her into his arms and took her through the door she had assumed was for employees.

The last thing she heard was his voice singing, which now sounded incredibly like the musician on stage,

 _"You'll find friendly in short supply_  
 _'Cause the price of admission will bleed you dry"_

His laughter followed her, until she was aware of nothing more.

* * *

 **A/N –Work has been super slow, so I used it for productive writing time. Shh.**

 **I got paid while I wrote. I'm almost a paid writer.**

 **Hey, I don't step on your delusions do I, hmm? :P**

 **I heavily thank and give props to Hanson for this chapter. It was built around their song "Something Loud" which is a members only song, to listen to it go to hanson . net and become a member. ;)**

 **I didn't include the lyrics for this one in the beginning since I ended up putting the whole song in the chapter itself.**

 **As your lovely bartender, I am requesting tips in the form of lots of reviews. Please and thank you. lol**


	11. Chapter 10 - Welcome to Breaktown

**A Syncopated Groove**

 **Chapter 10 –**

 **"Are you ready to lose?**  
 **Are you ready to win?**  
 **Well I've been losing for so long**  
 **I can't begin**  
 **I'm the man on the moon**  
 **I'm the man on the ledge**  
 **I'm the words you never knew were in your head**

 **You can't help you're so insecure**  
 **You're hurt right down to the core**  
 **You're only stuck in your pain today**

 **Welcome to Breaktown**  
 **For the first time**  
 **It's a great town**  
 **For your worst time**  
 **When you freak out**  
 **There's a road sign**  
 **"Welcome to Breaktown"**

 **Are you ready to quit?**  
 **Are you ready to learn?**  
 **Are you ready to find the spark inside and let it burn?**  
 **I'm the walls that close in**  
 **I'm the words you won't say**  
 **I'm the voices you choose to keep inside and lock away**  
 **Everyday**

 **You keep it all to yourself**  
 **You're just like everyone else**  
 **So take a good look around**

 **Now, welcome to Breaktown**  
 **For the first time**  
 **It's a great town**  
 **For your worst time**  
 **When you freak out**  
 **There's a road sign**  
 **"Welcome to Breaktown"**

 **When you're driving through**  
 **There's a room with a view**  
 **Just hanging around**

 **Welcome to Breaktown**  
 **For the first time**  
 **It's a great town**  
 **For your worst time**  
 **When you freak out**  
 **There's a road sign**  
 **"Welcome to Breaktown"**

 **\- "Breaktown" - Hanson**

As Madison fell into the Goblin King's clutches, Hoggle was leaving Sarah as fast as he could, like the coward he was, mumbling over and over as he remembered. "Damn me and damn him too."

 _He was running away from the hedge maze and the roaring monster that was sure to be nearby, leaving Sarah to face it on her own. Usually he was ok with being a coward but as his short legs carried him away, his conscience wouldn't give his mind rest._

 _Suddenly he came up short against a pair of knees, which were attached to Jareth. Hoggle quickly backed up._

 _"Well" he said pleasantly, "if it isn't you."_

 _"And where are you going, hmm?" Jareth continued._

 _"Ah.." Then he heard an exclamation from Sarah echo, which prompted him with a reply. "The little lady, she gave me the slip, but I just hears her now…so I was about to lead her back to the beginning like you told me."_

 _Jareth's eyes narrowed, "I see." He sauntered a few steps away from the dwarf. "For one moment I thought you were running to help her. But..no. Not after my warnings. That would be stupid."_

 _"Me? Help her? After your warnings? A ha ha ha." Hoggle doubled over pretending to be caught up in laughter at the thought, walking forward without direction. He came to a halt when he looked up to see Jareth kneeling, eye to eye with him._

 _"Oh Dear. Poor Hoghead." The Goblin King put his gloved hand to his neck._

 _"Hoggle," he corrected without thought._

 _"I've just noticed, your lovely jewels are missing," he leaned down and put his hand on the dwarf's shoulder like they were sharing a private confidence._  
 _Hoggle looked down and pretended to be surprised, "Uh, Oh, yes! So they are. My lovely jewels, missing." He patted his belt and pants, trying to locate them. "I better find 'em, but first I'm off to take the little lady back to the beginning of the Labyrinth. Just like we planned." He started to retreat._

 _"Wait!"_

 _He turned around to find Jareth leaning against a large rock that seemed to have his likeness. He was spinning a crystal and gazing into it. "Take this." Then he flipped it in the air and it landed in Hoggle's startled hand._

 _"What, what is it?"_

 _"That will transport you to the River of Life, where our dear Sarah will be heading towards. You will encourage her to partake in the drink there and I shall take care of the rest."_

 _"What are you gonna do to her?" he didn't wish to see anything happen to the girl._

 _"Now, why the concern?"_

 _He shook his head, "I won't do nothin to harm her."_

 _"Come, come, come, Hogbrain! I'm surprised at you, losing your head over a girl." Jareth strolled towards the dwarf._

 _"I ain't lost my head!" he thumped himself in the chest with hand as he dared to defy the King, his actions conflicting with his words._

 _Jareth poked his swagger stick at him, "You don't think a young girl could like a repulsive little scab like you, do you?"_

 _"Well, she said we was.."_

 _"What? Bosom companions? Friends?"_

 _He shook his head, looking at the ground, "Eh, don't matter."_

 _"You'll do as I say, Hoggle, or I'll tip you straight into the bog of eternal stench before you can blink!" Jareth had grabbed hold of his ear like a parent would with a recalcitrant child._

 _Hoggle sighed in defeat as he was released and pushed away from the King,"Yes, right." He started to head back the way he had come, but Jareth's voice stopped him._

 _"And Hoggle, if she ever kisses you, I'll turn you into a Prince?"_

 _His bushy eyebrows went up in surprise, "Y..you will?"_

 _"Prince of the Land of Stench!" The Goblin King spread his arms in the air and laughed with vicious humor._

Hoggle came back to the present and muttered to himself as the distance grew between him and the River of Life. "Oh she'll never forgive me. What have I done? I've lost my only friend, that's what I've done."

While Hoggle berated himself, Madison was in an oubliette in the King's arms. Not that she was aware of this. But if she was conscious she would appreciate that it was clean and had comfortable furniture.

* * *

Jareth kept this oubliette for special purposes that couldn't be conducted in the castle, such as a runner who he couldn't take in the castle until time had run out. Even if she was not aware, the second she would cross the threshold, she would win. So he had made this cell comfortable for when there was need for a cleaner, well-appointed location.

He sat with her in his lap on one of the plush lounges, one arm around her to keep her from falling. The other arm he kept free and conjured a crystal, which he used to peer into her current dream.

* * *

Madison was standing on the outskirts of what looked like an abandoned town. Even though she hadn't explored it, the absence of life was palpable. She could feel that no one was there.

She saw a road sign in the near distance, so she cautiously made her way up to it.

"Breaktown," she read aloud as she reached it.

"Well that sounds promising," she continued with sarcasm.

How she had gotten here was a mystery. She remembered the bar and the Goblin King, but how she transitioned to this desolate location, was a missing part of her memory.

She wasn't sure which was worse, the bar with the silent patrons or being in what felt like the middle of nowhere with no other creature about.

She slowly made her way down the deserted street, expecting to see a tumbleweed roll by.

The buildings looked like they had just been abandoned, they weren't falling down or in disrepair. Some were taller apartment buildings, some small stores, all missing that spark of life.

Until she rounded a corner and walked into a barren room draped in black cloths. One moment outside, the next inside. She looked back to see a door and walls where a street corner had been.

"Are you ready to lose?" a voice asked behind her.

She spun around to see an old man with a long white mustache and beard, seated slightly hunched behind a table draped in a black cloth, so that it seemed he was floating in the room. It almost echoed the emptiness of the town.

"Are you ready to win?" a higher voice asked, which drew her attention to above the old man where the long neck and head of a bird was attached to his head.

By this point, she had come across many strange creatures, so this one barely gave her pause.

"I'm..not sure what you mean, " she addressed both of them. "Who are you?"

"I'm the man on the moon," he replied. "You're the woman on the ledge."

"Okayyy, now I'm beyond confused," she crossed her arms in frustration.

"You need to find the words, " the bird replied.

"What words?"

"That you never knew were in your head," the old man finished.

"I'm getting a headache, " she rubbed her temples.

"You're stuck in your pain today," the bird continued what sounded like a riddle to her.

"Yes indeed. This place is causing me pain in more ways than one," she started to back towards the door, hoping it would lead her out of this ridiculousness.

"Are you ready to quit?" the bird asked.

"Never," Madison stopped in her attempt to leave and glared at the creature.

"Are you ready to learn?" the old man queried.

"Learn what?"

"You need to find the spark inside and let it burn," he answered.

"The voices," the bird piped up before Madison could speak.

"Yes, I'm hearing voices alright," Madison turned around and grabbed the doorknob.

"Find the voices inside that are locked away," she heard the old man say as she stepped through the doorway and into what looked like a hotel room.

"Greeeat. Now where am I?" she asked the unoccupied space. There was a queen bed draped in standard hotel white with plump pillows, a desk against the opposite wall, and what looked like windows with curtains swept back on side opposite from her by the door. She slowly walked over to look out, only to discover she was very high up, looking at nothing. There were no buildings, streets, it was like she was in a floating room.

"What the fuck?"

"Room with a view," said a familiar voice, sounding amused.

She turned around to see the Goblin King leaning against the door she had come through, with his arms crossed in front of him.

"Don't you have better things to do than harass me?" she mirrored his stance and leaned against the window, crossing her own arms.

He grinned, "I prefer to call it observing the progress of a runner of my Labyrinth."

"Uh huh. That's why you sent me to that circus for a psycho," she glared at him.

He produced a crystal and rolled it around his gloved hands with ease, "Everything here serves a purpose. Whether you can determine what that purpose is or not, does not detract from its objective."

"So enlighten me, what is a floating room's purpose?" she moved her hands to her hips.

He stilled the crystal's movement and looked to the wall where a 13 hour clock had appeared. The hour hand ticked for a moment and then stopped at the 13. He grinned again, "To pass the time and distract you from the truth."

"What is the truth?" her brow furrowed.

He strolled towards her, "This is a dream, nothing more. And you dear Sarah, are out of time."

* * *

 **A/N – No your eyes don't deceive you, another update! Has it been 6 months already? Lol Nope, don't check your calendars. Work is slow and I'm on a roll.**

 **This is another chapter heavily influenced by a Hanson song. It is actually one of my faves. You can find it on my Spotify song list. Just search A Syncopated Groove on there.**

 **The lyrics are some of my faves (also where my username thevoiceslockedaway comes from) and I had to include them all in the beginning, not just a verse.**

 **Don't worry, this isn't the end. More to come! How will Madison take her loss? ;)**


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